Ogden Clinic vasectomy promotion aims to please March Madness fans

March 28--OGDEN -- It is March Madness time and are you looking for an excuse to sit on the couch and root for (insert your team) to win the NCAA basketball championship? Consider getting a vasectomy.

From now through April 15, Ogden Clinic is offering its "bench warmer pass."

To aid with convalescence, the clinic will give to men undergoing vasectomies a $25 pizza gift card to The Pie, an ice pack, a green sweat band and a fleece blanket with the Ogden Clinic logo. The vasectomy itself will be performed by a board certified urologist.

Ogden Clinic can usually schedule an appointment within a few days after calling.

Urologist Dr. Tyler Christensen said it is an out-patient procedure that takes about 20 minutes to complete under local anesthesia and can usually be performed the same day as the initial consulation.

Christensen said it is a safe, effective and minimally invasive procedure recommended for men who have finished having their families.

"If you look at success rate, vasectomy is 10 times more effective than tubal ligation," Christensen said. Tubal ligation is also a more invasive procedure that requires general anesthesia. Reversal of a vasectomy is also less invasive than for tubal ligation.

Recovery time takes about two days and most insurance plans cover the procedure.

Christensen assured that the procedure will not affect sexual function or decrease testosterone levels.

This is the first year that Ogden Clinic offers the gift package.

Christensen said the clinic gets many inquiries for vasectomies during this time of year -- in addition to the end of the year after families have completed their insurance deductables.

Ogden Clinic Marketing Manager Valerie Kierejewski said many of the calls have come from women.

The women feel they have taken the burden of bearing the children and the responsibility for the birth control, so now it is their husbands' turn.

"We definitely find that men are less likely to make that appointment," Kierejewski said. "It is usually a partner or a spouse."

Overall, men are less likely to address their health, let alone make an appointment for a vasectomy, Kierejewski said.

"We have found promoting urology and men's health to be tricky," Kierejewski said. "The campaign is innovative and creative, but is all about providing men's health service."

So since you have probably already lost your shot at Warren Buffet's billion dollar bracket challenge, do something for yourself and your lady.

Afterward, you can enjoy the games sporting a sweet headband and relaxing with an ice pack for your groin.

For more information about the promotion, call 801-475-3160 or visit www.ogdenclinic.com/.

Contact Jesus Lopez Jr. at 801-625-4239 or jlopez@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @jesuslopezSE and Facebook at facebook.com/JesusLopezSE.

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